More Processing Has Not Closed the FOIA Gap

Federal FOIA teams are processing more requests, testing AI, and improving pieces of their workflow. Yet rising demand, aging cases, workforce losses, litigation, and fragmented technology continue to limit capacity. This report analyzes 68 Federal Chief FOIA Officer Reports published in 2026 to identify where agencies are gaining ground, where pressure is building, and what modernization will require.

Learn more about:

  • Why higher processing output has not consistently reduced request backlogs

  • How staffing losses, litigation, appeals, and complex records pull capacity away from ordinary request work

  • Where AI is beginning to appear in FOIA workflows, and why governance and measurement matter

  • How multi-tool, manual, legacy, and incomplete technology environments create more handoffs

  • What FOIA leaders can do to connect intake, review, redaction, litigation, reporting, and release

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The FOIA Technology Gap: Processing, Emerging AI, and Existing Technology Are Not Yet Closing the Backlog